


A Step in the Right Direction

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [10]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Feelings, M/M, Team Hot Dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 14:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2696375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stacker's, Herc's and Tamsin's road trip through Australia is slowly coming to an end. Stacker reaches some important decisions on the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Step in the Right Direction

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone wonder how that picture Mako finds of Herc and Stacker came to be? Well, here's the answer (and some more things, too ^^). I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry it takes me so long to post new fics, but I'm on another working trip and my time is very very limited. On top of that my last accommodation was... well, seriously _weird_ , and didn't allow me to get the peace and quiet I need to write. More will come, though, I'm not done yet with this universe ^_^

_Noosa, Australia, June 13th 2016_

 

It's early afternoon when Stacker, Herc and Tamsin walk down the road to the beach. They're just coming back from a leisurely hike through the Noosa National Park and decided to check out the beach on their way back to the campsite. It's interesting how the people still love the ocean here. It seems as if nothing has happened, as if the attack on Sydney never really touched people's lives here in Noosa. They still live like they used to do before the Kaiju came, they still lie in the sun on the beach, still go swimming, surfing, kayaking. Tourists still come here to enjoy the sea. It's a place where you can forget that Kaiju exist.

Stacker wishes he could forget it as easily as those people do, but he knows he never will be able to. He and those closest to him bear to many scars, to many reminders of the impact the the Kaiju have on this world. But for today he's willing to push those memories back and enjoy the day, the beautiful weather and the stunning scenery. Their hike was fun and relaxing, the paths reasonably easy to walk and the lunch of homemade sandwiches and fruit was delicious. The ocean lies before them now, a shade of deep blue that was typical for postcards before K-day, and the wind is just strong enough to counteract the high temperature.

"Come on, let's hire some kayaks!" Tam points at the little stand on the beach where a variety of surfboards and kayaks are on display on a rack. Thirty dollars for two hours, a sign tells them, and Stacker follows Tam and Herc who're already making their way over to the young guy sitting behind a fold-out table under a sunshade. He's more than happy to rent them three kayaks and pulls the boats out of the rack for them. They leave their backpacks with the guy - but only after Tam and Herc put on a new layer of sunscreen - and drag the kayaks into the surf.

The water is warm and pleasant, but it still takes Stacker a moment to adjust to it. He has grown so used to the fact that the ocean isn't safe anymore, and often polluted with Kaiju Blue, that he's not entirely comfortable. He knows the feeling isn't justified here in Noosa where there never was a Kaiju attack - Sydney is over a thousand kilometres away - and he quashes his inner unrest, telling himself to enjoy the peaceful beauty of the place instead.

They paddle out along the shoreline, almost the same way they walked before high on the cliffs. The waves are gentle and after a while Stacker relaxes. He's behind Tamsin who's eager to round the cliff, and Herc paddles next to him with a smile on his face. There are other kayaks out here along with the odd stand up paddle surfer and quite a few regular surfers. The only sounds come from the waves hitting the shore and Stacker's own paddle in the water. Time passes quicker than he expected, and when Tamsin turns back and tells them that half of their time is over, Stacker has just begun to enjoy the whole thing. He was never a huge fan of water sports, mostly because he never lived anywhere where he could actually engage in them, and then came the Kaiju.

The way back to the beach seems to pass even faster than the way out. They drag the kayaks back to the rack and then Herc grins mischievously right before he tackles Stacker and pushes him all the way back into the surf. Stacker is too stunned to react until he feels the water up to his knees. Then he wakes from his surprise and turns the tables on Herc, wraps his arms around his waist and heaves him into the oncoming wave. Herc goes under water and comes up spluttering, a huge grin on his face. He attacks Stacker again, making use of the next wave to tackle him a second time.

Stacker can't help laughing and doesn't actually make an effort to avoid Herc. Instead he catches him, wraps his arm around his waist and pulls him underwater along with him. He can feel Herc's pleasure and playfulness over their ghost drift, like an echo of his own. They come back to the surface, laughing and trying to take a deep breath at the same time. Herc's hands are on Stacker's shoulders and he leans on him with his entire weight, trying to push him under again. Stacker is tall enough to be able to stand in the water, but he goes down willingly, only to grab Herc's wrists and drag him along. It's been years that he felt this carefree, and Stacker takes the most profound pleasure in it.

When they come out of the water, they're still laughing and soaking wet. Stacker has his arm wrapped around Herc's shoulder and he feels Herc's hand on his waist. There's a huge grin on Herc's face and he looks adorable and hot at the same time with his hair rumpled and dripping wet, his eyes alight with mirth and his strong upper body bare. Stacker's eyes search and find the small black tattoo on his chest, and he feels the pleasant twisting in his stomach again.

"Smile, boys!" Stacker hears Tamsin's voice and then turns just in time to see her snap a picture. 

She stills when her gaze falls on Herc's and Stacker's bared chest, and her eyebrows rise in surprise. Stacker knows what she's looking at. It's the first time she sees the tattoos, because it's the first time they show them. A smile comes to her lips and she looks at them with warmth in her eyes. "Nice artwork. Suits you two really well."

Stacker just nods, unable to find any words. He knows Tamsin understands the meaning of this. She knows him too well not to.

"Thanks, Tam." Herc returns her smile and his free hand comes up to trail a finger over the markings on Stacker's chest. It makes him shiver.

"Now let's get a group picture." Tamsin grins and stands next to Stacker. She holds the camera out with one hand and the three of them squeeze together to fit into the frame. "Say 'cheese'!"

They take a few more photos, then they return to the kayak rental to retrieve their backpacks and shoes. Stacker and Herc put on their tank tops while Tamsin heads straight for one of the sun decks installed at the beach promenade and puts her backpack down.

"I'm going to take a nice nap right here in the shade." Tamsin declares and lies back on the wooden sun deck with her head resting on her backpack. She pulls her sunglasses over her eyes and moves a little back and forth until she's comfortable. "You guys do whatever you want, but don't come back before I had at least an hour of sleep."

"Your wish is our command." Herc says with a chuckle. "We'll get you for dinner then."

"Do that." she mumbles and stretches comfortably, obviously intent on staying right there for the next hour or two. Her bright red hair stands out fiercely against the black of her backpack, and her bikini matches her hair colour perfectly. She has the lean and strong figure typical for a Ranger, and Stacker is reminded about that holiday he took with Luna and Tamsin right before they enlisted. The girls had shared one towel every time they were at the beach, utterly comfortable in each other's personal space, Tamsin's pale white skin against Luna's ebony one, the red and black of their hair on the same towel. They were beautiful together, strong and fierce and yet their deep connection was so obvious, the tenderness between them never hidden. Stacker had envied them back then, just a little bit, because he was sure he would never experience what they had.

Now when he looks at Herc who's walking next to him, his perfect match, his partner for life, wearing Stacker's name on his chest with pride and confidence, he is amazed to realise that he did find it. Stacker doesn't know what he did in his life to deserve Herc, but he sure won't question it. Even if the cancer should win over him before he has the time to really _live_ with Herc, he's grateful for every moment he can spend with him. 

"You want a smoothie, too?" Herc ask and points at the little café down the street, effectively pulling Stacker out of his musings. 

"Sure." Stacker replies and makes to follow him.

Herc stops him and points at an empty bench at the beach promenade. "You secure that bench over there for us, I will get us the smoothies."

"Yes sir." Stacker salutes with a smirk and Herc chuckles before he makes his way over to the café. Stacker walks to the bench and sits down, taking up enough space so that Herc can join him even if some other pedestrian should decided to sit down. Stacker does his best to look threatening enough that nobody gets the idea to actually do that. He wants Herc all to himself, without curious ears nearby.

He only has to wait a few minutes, then Herc is coming up to him with two large paper cups in his hands. He looks relaxed and happy, a smile on his face. He is barefoot, wearing only the still slightly wet boardshorts and the tank top that Stacker can't help noticing accentuates his strong build beautifully. His skin is tanned now, his freckles almost hidden, and Stacker can see the edge of a black line of his tattoo peeking out of the low collar. It makes a surge of possessiveness swell up in Stacker's chest, along with deep affection, contentedness and the urge to let his fingers trail over his mark on Herc's skin. He sees Herc's smile deepen, taking on a satisfied and at the same time teasing edge, and Stacker knows Herc felt his thoughts over the ghost drift.

Stacker can't put in words how relieved he is that the ghost drift between them hasn't faded although they haven't drifted in over two months. If their connection was to fade, it would have started to do so by now. But it hasn't, it's still as strong as it was when Stacker left with Tamsin to be stationed in the Hong Kong Shatterdome. He can admit to himself that he was worried, scared even, that it would slowly disappear. That he would be left without that special connection he shares with Herc. But is sings in the air right now, full of warmth, contentedness and gentle teasing. 

"Here. Kiwi, water melon, mango and orange." Herc says when he hands Stacker one of the smoothies and sits down next to him. Stacker takes a sip through the straw and enjoys the way the taste explodes in his mouth. He has always loved fruit.

"Thanks. That's delicious." Stacker takes another sip, then he leans over to Herc. "What do you have?"

Herc holds out his paper cup for Stacker to try. "Mango, papaya, passion fruit and pineapple."

It's totally different but just as good, and Stacker offers Herc his straw to try it too. It's comfortable and relaxed, and they lean back and slowly slurp their smoothies. They have five days left before they will return the car to a rental agency in Brisbane and then fly back to Hong Kong. Stacker has been thinking about many things in the past few weeks, and he has come to some decisions that concern not only his but also Herc's future. Now is a good moment to talk about it, Stacker decides and turns to look at Herc. "I've been thinking about something."

Herc just watches him attentively, and Stacker knows he won't interrupt him. Herc must have felt that there was something on Stacker's mind for quite a while, and he's willing to listen now that Stacker is ready to talk about it.

"Mako Mori. The girl we saved in Tokyo." Stacker stops for a moment, collecting his thoughts, giving them structure. "I know she is an orphan now. She lost both her parents in the attack." Her face is still so crystal clear in Stacker's memory, as if it's a photo he's looking at. She's one of the very few clear memories he has about that day in Tokyo.

Stacker stares out over the beach, gaze focussed on nothing at all, lost in the vastness of the ocean. The paper cup is cold in his fingers. He wonders if his idea is foolish, but it's been on his mind ever since he saw a newspaper article with her photo a day after the attack. 

"I want to adopt her." Stacker finally says, still looking at nothing at all. "I feel... some kind of kinship to her that I can't explain. I want to give her a life, you know. A future. She doesn't have much of one now, and she has survived too much to be screwed over by the circumstances now. I think she deserved better than to grow up as one of many in an overcrowded orphanage."

Herc gives him a smile, the little one, the lopsided, real one. "I think it's a great idea."

Stacker lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding in. It's a huge relief to hear Herc approve of his idea, and until now Stacker hadn't realised how much his support means.

"You know I'll help wherever I can. With advice, with the adoption process, with the suddenly being a father thing - whatever you need." Herc chuckles, and it sounds a bit strained. "If there's one thing I have in abundance, it's experience with a difficult, traumatised child. I may not have handled it too well, but at least I know now what to do and what _not_ to do."

Stacker leans into him and gently bumps their shoulders together. "Thank you, Herc."

He is quiet for a moment, then Stacker looks at Herc. "And for the record, I think you did the best you could. The situation was a mess, and you were just as screwed up by what happened as Chuck was - just that everybody, including him, expected you to be strong and go on as if you were unaffected. They never considered that you needed as much time to grieve and regroup as Chuck did. You just never got it." 

"You know me well." Herc chuckles, and there's a little sadness to it. Stacker knows the memories of Angela's death still hurt, and always will. He has seen her through Herc's eyes during their drifts, and he understands why Herc loved her so much and what it meant to lose her.

Stacker moves closer, just a little bit, so that their shoulders and legs touch. "I was in your head, remember?"

"Yeah, I distinctly remember." Herc grins. There's a wave of teasing imagery following over the ghost drift and Stacker fights a groan. God, how he misses it, being in the drift with Herc. The thought is immediately followed by the punch-in-the-gut feeling that comes with remembering that they will never be able to do it again.

Stacker swallows against the lump in his throat and stares at the almost empty smoothie in his hand. "I'm sorry." 

Herc leans into him, his voice telling Stacker that he picked up on the change in Stacker's mood. "What for?"

It takes Stacker a moment to reply. "That we can't drift anymore."

Herc's hand comes up to Stacker's face and forces him to look at him. There's a frown on Herc's face, not angry, more stunned, desperate. "You know you're not to blame for that. Tell me that you don't think that it is your fault."

Stacker wants to avert his gaze but forces himself to keep looking Herc in the eye. Of course he knows that it's not his fault, rationally, but in his gut he still feels like it is, because he's the one who can't drift anymore. Herc still can. 

Stacker wants it so much, to share his entire being with Herc again, become one entity, moving a creature as mighty as a Jaeger with the absolute sync only a perfect match can ever achieve. He wants to feel Herc in his mind, hear his voice in his head, show him memories he has never shared with anybody, wants to learn more about Herc, a little piece each time they engage in the neural handshake. Yet he knows that he _can't_ , because if he does, he risks his life, and Herc will never forgive him if he does that without a bloody good reason.

"Stacks." Herc is still holding his face with a hand on Stacker's jaw, and his thumb is brushing over the emerging stubble on his cheek. "Stacks. Look at me." 

He pauses just long enough to make sure he has Stacker's full attention.

"You're my perfect match, no matter if we can drift or not." Stacker is caught up in the raw honesty in Herc's blue eyes, in the gentle but firm tone of his voice. "You _always_ will be."

It takes Stacker's breath away, leaves him unable to speak. Of course he knows Herc doesn't fool around, knows he would never engage in a relationship he doesn't mean. Herc is the all-or-nothing type of man. Just like he was fiercely loyal and deeply in love with Angela - and always will be - he now holds the same feelings for Stacker - and always will, in good times and in bad. Stacker knows, he felt it in the drift, no matter that neither of them ever said it out loud. 

"We may not be able to drift anymore, but that doesn't change things between us." Herc takes Stacker's hand, presses its palm to his chest, right over the tattoo. "I got your mark knowing fully well what I was getting into. I knew about the cancer, I knew about the drift, I knew _you_. It was my decision, Stacks, and I won't ever regret it."

It's the most emotional thing Herc has ever said to him. They're both not the kind of people to talk about feelings, so he knows how important this is to Herc, how much it means to him that Stacker _understands_. For once Stacker doesn't care that they're in public, he just leans in and touches Herc's lips in a gentle kiss, willing it to say all the things he can't find the right words for. Herc seems startled for a moment, then he returns the kiss. It's slow and chaste, but Stacker feels how much it means to both of them.

Stacker pulls back slowly after a moment, touching his forehead to Herc before sitting up straight again. There's a soft smile on Herc's lips, and he leans back against the bench comfortably, his entire side touching Stacker's. They sit in silence for a minute or two before Herc nudges his shoulder. "Now, when are you planning to bring little Mako home?"


End file.
